It hardly seems like a year since Rachel asked me to take over the Energy Coordinator role, and although there’s been a lot to take on board I do feel like I’m slowly getting a grasp of what the role entails, either that or people have just given up reminding me the things I’m supposed to be doing but have forgotten. It’s been great to get a chance to see first-hand the passion and dedication of the many leaders and helpers within the             Energy groups and I feel privileged to be able to minister alongside them.

As everyone in the Church should now be well aware, all of the Energy groups have been looking at a version of the Bible in a Year called “The Story” and provided I haven’t made a mistake somewhere we’ll be completing it just before the groups break up for the summer holidays. This has been a great opportunity for all the children to not just revisit the well-known Bible stories but also look at some of the areas of the Bible which we ourselves rarely explore. There have been some challenges in this and some of the material covered has raised difficult questions about the nature of our faith and God, which is no bad thing and has certainly led to in-depth discussions in some of the older groups. As the year draws to a close we will soon be thinking about what to cover next year and whilst we may not have a video every Sunday morning I’m keen for the Energy groups to still get a chance to share what they are learning about with the rest of the congregation each week.
There have been a few changes in the groups this year, with both Ignite and Voltage relocating to leaders’ houses to allow them to take on a more “Youth House-group” feel, which has been met with a positive response from both young people and leaders alike. Also, the moving of Voltage from Sunday mornings to Evenings has allowed some of the members of Voltage to help out in the younger Energy groups this year, and they have been a great encouragement to the children and a help to the leaders in the groups. Also, we’ve trialled a new, as of yet untitled, optional group on a Sunday morning for the Voltage and Ignite aged young people where they get a chance to spend time in fellowship together.
During the course of the year several leaders have moved on for various reasons and we haven’t always been able to find people to take their place which means we now have quite a few vacancies in the Energy team. We’re currently considering how we can make best use of the many talented and dedicated leaders and helpers within the ministry and there may well be a few changes to some of the Energy groups in the summer to allow us to best cater for all of the children within the Church. In the meantime, I’d ask the members of the congregation to prayerfully consider if they’d be able or willing to help out the Energy teams, it really is a great opportunity to share your faith with the children and young people. If you do want to find out more about helping out in a group then please get in touch with myself or the group leaders listed below.
We’ve still got lots to look forward to within the Energy groups in the run up to the summer holidays and beyond, including the inaugural Energy Training Day on the 16th of May and the completion of the Story series in July. Please keep the Energy groups, both children and leaders, in your prayers in this coming year as we look to continually improve and develop our ministry in this vital area.
Cheers and God Bless,
Chris “happiest when dressed as a gorilla” Gilson
 A Reminder of the group leaders: